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KO: Alex Ovechkin paired with Evgeny Kuznetsov on Team Russia’s first line

By Ian Oland

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September 5, 2016 12:41 pm

Monday, Team Russia held their first official practice for the World Cup of Hockey and I’ve got some great news. Washington Capitals brothers from another mother Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin have been paired together on the first line along with Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov.

Caps defenseman Dmitry Orlov is also on Russia’s first defense pairing.

When speaking with reporters after practice, Ovechkin was unsure how quickly he and his teammates would gel before the tournament begins.

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“I was working with my personal trainer in Moscow,” Ovechkin said to Sport Express, as translated by Igor Kleyner. “We haven’t changed much. Sometimes we train twice a day. My physical condition is normal. I think it will be hard during the initial warm-up games because we haven’t had any game practice. But that’s the whole purpose of these games: to get experience playing with your line-mates on the power play, penalty kill, and just work yourself into game shape.”

ovechkin-interview

Photo: @TomGulittiNHL

“With Ovechkin and Kucharov, we had only one workout so it’s too early to say anything,” Kuznetsov said of his linemates to Sport Express. “But Nikita is a very talented guy and I think it will be very easy to find common ground.”

Russia’s first game is Thursday against the Czech Republic.

Here’s a look at a few other line combinations for the World Cup of Hockey

Headline photo: Sport Express

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